Jing
by CaptainKomaCute
Summary: A new panda comes to the Valley of Peace to challenge the Dragon Warrior...
1. Chapter 1

Okay, everybody, here's a new story. Hope you enjoy it.

Chapter One—The Traveler

Jing stepped through the village in the Valley of Peace, adjusting his wide, straw hat every few minutes to keep it centered on his head. So, this was the place? This was the place that had witnessed the demise of Tai Lung? This was the place where the Furious Five trained and defended the people?

This was the place where the Dragon Warrior—all Jing really knew about him was his name, Po—was chosen by the deceased master, Oogway?

Somehow, Jing had expected something different. It was peaceful, just as he had guessed the Valley of Peace would be, but where was the Dragon Warrior? Jing wanted to meet him, to test him. Surely, if the legendary warrior had defeated Tai Lung, then Jing could learn much from meeting him.

Jing's stomach growled lowly and he stopped. It had been a while since he had eaten. He looked around him and quickly spotted a noodle shop; Mr. Ping's. Curious and hungry, Jing walked over to the shop and sat at an empty table. As he did so, other patrons—some of which with half-chewed food in their mouths—stared at him in curiosity. He wasn't surprised by it. Since the selection of the Dragon Warrior, many pandas received strange looks. Jing had wondered why, but the answer will come to him when he meets Po.

"Good afternoon," said a chipper voice and Jing looked down at a goose in an apron, wearing a hat shaped like noodles. "What can I get you, sir?"

"Just a simple bowl of noodles," Jing replied, refusing the menu when the goose had offered it.

"Very good, sir. It'll be right out."

The goose shuffled away and Jing exhaled sharply. Impatiently, he tapped the table with his fingers.

Somebody else soon entered the shop; a female tiger and a male monkey. They were deep in their conversation, but they had quickly drawn Jing's attention. The way they walked, the way the carried themselves... These were no ordinary patrons. They had some class.

"...was difficult," the monkey was saying as he got in range of Jing's hearing. "I mean, even you had trouble against Po, Tigress."

At the mention of Po, Jing listened even more carefully.

"I didn't have trouble," Tigress replied. "I just went easy on him."

"You say that every time he beats you in a sparring match," Monkey laughed. They sat at a table, and the goose from earlier, Mr. Ping, hurried over to them.

"Ah, good afternoon. How's your day?" he asked, a new kind of perkiness to his voice.

"Tiring, but nothing we can't handle," Tigress replied in a detached tone.

"How's Po?" Mr. Ping questioned. "Is he doing well?"

"Just fine," Monkey answered. "He actually wanted to come down for some noodles, but Shifu wants him to do a bit more training beforehand."

"Ah, he _is_ the Dragon Warrior."

"Pardon me," Jing said, standing and walking over to them. "I could not help but overhear your conversation. I take it that each of you knows the Dragon Warrior?"

Tigress analyzed him carefully, but Mr. Ping spoke with true pride.

"Of course they do. And so do I. He's my son," Mr. Ping chimed.

"I'm Monkey and this is Tigress. We're from the Furious Five," Monkey explained kindly, holding out his hand.

"Can you take me to meet the Dragon Warrior?" Jing asked excitedly. "I'd like to speak to him."  
"I'm sorry, but we aren't allowed to bring random outsiders to the Jade Palace," Tigress told him in such cold indifference that Jing felt a surge of hatred, directed—it felt—towards him. "He'll be out of the Jade Palace soon. You can meet him when he talks with the townspeople."

"I must speak with him now," Jing insisted. "Please."

"Why is it so important to you?" Monkey questioned. He looked over him carefully. "Do you practice Kung Fu?"

Jing nodded. "I do. I'd like the chance to test my mettle against the Dragon Warrior."

"It's below the Dragon Warrior to accept random challenges from random travlers," Tigress stated.

"Then what about the Furious Five?" Jing asked. He flexed his knees, taking an offensive stance. Without a moment's hesitation, Tigress and Monkey took their stances, ready to defend themselves. They stood there, watching each other carefully for any signs of movement, any signs of an attack.

"You don't want to do this," Tigress warned. "This will turn out badly for you."

"Humor me," Jing stated and he made his first strike, a lunge at Tigress which was quickly and skillfully blocked and reversed; Tigress twisted Jing's arm and heaved, lifting the panda off his feet in an attempt to throw him on his back. Yet Jing quickly reoriented himself, landing smoothly on his feet and attempting to use the same move on Tigress; Monkey moved in hurriedly, striking Jing in the stomach and forcing him backward.

They stood once more in a standoff, watching each other carefully. Once again, Jing made the first move, this time taking to the air. He struck downward at Tigress with his fist. Tigress dodged and Monkey attempted to strike when Jing had unintentionally stuck his fist into the stone ground. Hurriedly, before Monkey could get his strike in, Jing hurriedly flipped himself over, his foot skimming Monkey's jaw and allowing Jing to stand upright, wrenching his fist free of the stone.

Tigress was not waiting for Jing to steady himself; she struck with amazing accuracy, and Jing had narrowly managed to move to avoid a severe injury. Tigress's fist met Jing's left arm, and he hurriedly back away from the pair. He had to admit that they were skilled—he had expected as much from the Furious Five, but their skills superseded his expectations. Perhaps he was simply taking it too easy on them.

"Master Shifu has taught you remarkably well, but it's not over yet."

"Face it," Tigress growled. "You can't win." She charged once more and Jing found himself dodging and blocking her blows, patiently awaiting his proper chance. He struck at Tigress's arm—once at the elbow and once at the shoulder—and hurriedly backed away. Tigress made another attempt to strike, but noticed it immediately; her left arm had become paralyzed. She growled. "A nerve attack..."

"Sorry, but you didn't leave me much choice," Jing sighed. "You're still able to fight, aren't you? One arm does not defeat a Kung Fu master."

Monkey dashed forward and Jing hurriedly flipped, airborne to allow Monkey rush beneath him. Extending his arm, Jing struck Monkey's arm twice—at the elbow and shoulder. Like Tigress, Monkey's limb had gone limp and he rushed over to stand by Tigress.

"I don't want to fight, you two," Jing huffed. "I want to fight the Dragon Warrior."

_"Oh, yeah? Well here I am."_

The voice came from behind Jing. His fur stood on end at the sound and he hurriedly turned, to see a black-and-white panda standing behind him, angry and ready to fight. Jing grinned. He could tell that there was something different about this panda. Undoubtedly, this was the Dragon Warrior.

"Po..."

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Okay, everybody, here's the first chapter of the new story. Enjoy and let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, everybody; here's Chapter two. Enjoy.

Chapter Two—The Fan

The sight of Po made Jing's jaw drop almost immediately, despite the fact that Po looked angrier than anybody Jing had ever seen. Absentmindedly, he reached up and began to fiddle with the collar of his blue shirt.

"Y-you're... You're the Dragon Warrior..." Jing gasped, fidgeting with his fingers nervously.

"I am, and you're messing with my friends," Po snarled. "Who are you anyway?"

Faster than anybody could've imagined, Jing had rushed over grabbing Po's hand and shaking it emphatically. "It's... It's really nice to meet you, Mr. Dragon Warrior! I'm Jing! I'm your biggest fan and—"

"O...K..." Po muttered, pulling his hand away from Jing's. At first, Jing thought that he had made Po nervous, but the awkwardness evaporated within a few seconds. "Although, I can't blame you for being a fan. I am awesome." Anger returned just as fast as the awkwardness had vanished. "But why are you fighting with my friends?"

"Well, I asked them to take me to meet you at the Jade Palace, but they said no and one thing let to another and... Have I mentioned how awesome it is to meet you?!"

"Yes, you did, but even if you are my fan, you can't just mess with my friends," Po said.

"Well, Mr. Dragon Warrior, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to... fight you."

"Fight me?" Po echoed.

"Yeah, I mean, you defeated Tai Lung, and... I just want to see your skills for myself, sir," Jing answered.

Po looked up at Tigress and Monkey, who seemed just as shocked by Jing's insistent behavior as he was; it was a complete turn-around from how he had been before. Without warning, Jing made a move and, with almost no real effort, Po caught his wrist.

"Whoa, calm down. I didn't agree to a random fight."

Jing nodded and took a deep breath, but in the same moment, he brought his leg up in an attempt to kick Po in the side. Po pushed Jing backwards, frowning.

"I said calm down. Why are you so eager?"

"You're the _Dragon Warrior_!" Jing answered giddily. "Not many people can say that they've fought _the_ Dragon Warrior."

"Well, even still. You shouldn't pick a fight you can't win, kid."

"Oh, sorry, sir. My name's Jing." Jing gave a humble bow.

"Where are you from?" Po inquired.

Jing shrugged. "It's a pretty far place. Took me a few months to get here."

"Months? How far? And you came all this way just to fight with me? Seems kind of..."

"Awesome?" Jing hoped.

"Obsessive," Tigress stated.

"Impulsive," Monkey added.

"Creepy," Po finished.

"Sorry, I don't want to creep you out, but—I was just wondering... Could you possibly take me to the Jade Palace? I'd love to see where the Dragon Warrior lives."

"Wait, pull it back," Po replied. "First, you fight Tigress and Monkey, then you challenge me, and now you want to go to the Jade Palace? What's going on?"

"I'm just really excited," Jing replied. "And... and..."

"Breathe, kid," Po told him. "Now, what exactly are you here to do?"

"Well, I'd really like to test myself by fighting you," Jing explained. "Or even Master Shifu at the Jade Palace."

"We can't just take you back to the palace," Tigress said.

"Well, Master Shifu might be interested in meeting a kid with an interest in Kung Fu," Monkey admitted.

"Well, I don't know about fighting for the sake of fighting, but as far as the Jade Palace goes... I suppose we can give you a tour," Po stated. "If Shifu says anything, I can cover."

"You can?" Jing asked happily.

"Yeah, no problem," Po replied, "as long as you don't cause anymore trouble. By the way, my name's Po."

"Yeah, I know. I'm Jing," Jing said.

"Nice to meet you, Jing," Po said, holding out his hand. They shook hands and Po began walking away. Tigress and Monkey hurried along to catch up, and Jing moved closer to Po when he noticed the look of anger Tigress had—if looks could kill, Po would be dead.

"You can't just do that," Tigress said. "The Jade Palace is a sacred place."

"It'll be fine," Po assured her. "What's the worst that can happen?" When she started to answer, Po said, "It's a rhetorical question, Tigress. Just calm down. By the way, Jing, I bet there's another reason why you came here to the Valley of Peace."

"Well, there is, but I'd rather not say so right now."

"Why not? Come on, I bet there's a really great reason for you to come all the way here after traveling for months."

"Well, it's kind of a long story," Jing said, trying to dodge the question. "I mean, there's a reason, but—"

"Spit it out!" Tigress growled.

"I'm here to train under the guidance of the real Dragon Warrior!" Jing replied, jumping fearfully away from Tigress.

Alright, here's chapter 2. Enjoy.


	3. Chapter 3

Alright, guys, here's the next chapter. Enjoy. Please read and review.

* * *

Chapter Three—The Jade Palace

Somehow, the mood had changed awkwardly, almost immediately following Jing's admission. They stared at him in confusion, and he stared at his feet, too nervous to look up at them.

"You want to train with me?" Po asked. "I know I'm a Kung Fu master but—"

"You're _not_ a Kung Fu master," Tigress snarled, "and _you_, kid, can't just show up and demand to be trained."

"Well, I wasn't expecting to just be trained, but I was hoping I could prove my skill to you guys and then you'd say that you'd train me," Jing admitted. "I've already been trained at my village, and I'm the best there, so I figured."

"No," Tigress snapped. She continued to walk to the Jade Palace and Monkey hurried after her.

Jing sighed heavily and looked up imploringly at Po, who looked just as sad as he felt. Then, he perked up. "Even still, I bet you'd like to see the Jade Palace, right, Jing? It's one of the coolest places ever."

Jing's smile returned. "Yep. I'd love to, Mr. Po!"

"Come on," Po told him. "I'll give you the grand tour."

"And _this_ is my room," Po said, sliding the door open. Jing stepped in first, then Po. Jing surveyed the room and smiled. It had a quaint, homey feel and one of the first things that Jing noticed was a small table beside the simple bed. Atop the table, he noticed were figurines.

"Wow," Jing murmured, moving closer to the figurines. "These are Furious Five! And"—he gasped—"you, Mr. Po!" He pointed to the figurine of Po, taking special care to not knock it from its small pedestal or even touch it. These figurines looked to be in mint condition.

"Well, yeah, I'm a collector of those... relics," Po replied, looking slightly nervous.

"Yeah, so am I, but I had to leave my figures at home, I didn't want them to get broken," Jing replied.

"Really?" Po asked.

"Although, I had planned on bringing them to show you, my dad told me to leave them at home."

"Hey, that's awesome," Po said. "You know, I've got a lot of things; why don't you borrow some until you can get yours back?"

"Really, Mr. Po?"

"Yeah, really," Po replied, "as long as you do me a favor."

"Anything, sir!"

"Don't call me 'Mr. Po' or 'sir' anymore. It's just Po."

"Yes, s—Po," Jing said.

"Come on, we've got some more places to check out. I'll show you one of my favorites: the Hall of Warriors."

* * *

Po pushed the door open and stepped inside, but Jing hesitated. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt like he was an intruder, as though this place wasn't meant for his eyes.

"Come on," Po called. "This place is amazing."

They moved from artifact to artifact with Jing staring at in wonder at each of the relics that they walked by. Then, they approached the Moon Pool, and Jing stared at his reflection, fighting the urge to touch the water—his excitement was destroying his self-restraint. He started to lean forward, but Po grabbed his shirt and held him back.

"Wait, I think it's a bad idea to fall into the Moon Pool," Po warned. "Instead, why don't I show you something awesome?" He pointed upward and Jing followed his finger; a golden dragon stared down at them and Jing saw a scroll clenched in the dragon's snarling mouth. He flinched at first, but quickly relaxed.

"Is that the Dragon Scroll? Isn't that what made you so strong?" Jing asked.

"Nope."

"Really? I thought it was supposed to have mystical powers."

"That's what I thought too, but when I saw it, I figured out what it _really_ was that made me strong. I can show you if you want."

"I'm not the Dragon Warrior... It's not allowed!" Jing gasped.

"Look in the water."

Curious, Jing looked in the water, staring into the calm pool. His reflection looked back and he huffed after a few uneventful moments. "Nothing's happening. I don't get it, Po."

"What do you see?"

"Me."

"_That's_ the secret, not some magic scroll," Po replied. "That scroll—there's no writing, no magic, no hidden power."

Jing looked back at the pool and steadily it dawned on him. "It's just me..."

"And what's stronger than you?"

"You?"

"Nobody."

Jing grinned and then sucked in his breath sharply when heard footsteps approaching behind them... Footsteps... and a cane. Po looked back and rubbed the back of his head, seeming nervous.

"What's going on here, Panda? Why is there a stranger in the Sacred Hall of Warriors?"

* * *

Yay, CLIFFHANGERS! Enjoy. Please read and review. I'd like to hear your opinions.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, everybody, here's chapter three.

Chapter Four—The Test

Jing hid behind Po as Master Shifu approached, sucking in his breath sharply as he did. Somehow, despite Shifu's noticeable lack of height, the master was remarkably frightening. Po seemed undisturbed, but Jing could tell that Shifu was far from pleased.

"Panda, who is this?" Shifu demanded.

"This is Jing, a Kung Fu student and he's pretty good," Po replied.

"Why is he here in the Hall?" Shifu questioned.

"Well," Po said with a chuckle, "I thought I'd show him the awesomeness of the Jade Palace. Not everybody gets to see the amazing Jade Palace," he added with a wink to Jing. "He actually asked if he could train here."

"What?" Shifu gasped.

"Yeah, he wants to be a student of the legendary Dragon Warrior," Po explained, apparently oblivious to Shifu's growing annoyance. "Can't blame him."

"Po," Jing whispered warningly.

"I thought that, yeah, I'd teach him what I know," Po continued. "Got to pass the knowledge, right, Shifu?"

"No," Shifu snapped and with such finality that Po flinched. "You are not ready to teach, Panda."

"Then why don't you train him?" Po offered.

"No. As flattered as I'm sure you are by this youth, he simply cannot—"

"If you're wondering about his skill, Tigress and Monkey can vouch for that," Po continued. "After all, he practically beat them on his own."

"Did he now?" Shifu murmured in disbelief.

"Yeah, you can test him yourself," Po said. "In the training hall."

Shifu looked over Jing, who had started to unintentionally hold his breath. "Fine. Tigress will be his opponent. If he loses, he will be turned away."

"And if he wins?" Po asked, unable to hear Jing exhale.

Shifu frowned. "We will discuss it."

"This seems like a bad idea," Jing said to Po as they approached the training hall. "What if I lose?"

"You won't. Just be confident," Po answered, "and try not to get beat too badly if all else fails. Tigress can be a handful if you make her really mad."

"Oh," Jing sighed, looking at his feet as Shifu opened the door to the training hall. They stepped inside and Jing gasped. He had heard how the training hall was the proverbial gauntlet for only the best masters, but this exceeded his expectations. He saw the Furious Five training, Crane and Viper training against each other as Monkey and Tigress beat on the spiked dummies near the back. For a brief moment, Jing wondered where Mantis was, but he soon felt something on his shoulder and let out a shocked shout.

"Who's this, Master?" Mantis asked, landing gently on the floor.

"This is Jing, and he has asked permission to train here at the Jade Palace," Shifu answered.

"Another panda?" Viper wondered, slithering over.

"Yes, but if he is to train here, he must be tested," Shifu explained, "and I've reached the decision that Tigress will spar with him. Should he manage to defeat her"—she scoffed at the idea—"then we will discuss the possibility of his training here."

"No worries," Po told them. "I bet he could do it blindfolded."

"No," Jing hissed at him, but Shifu hummed with consideration.

"Very well, if that's the case," Shifu replied, "you shall battle her blindfolded on the tortoise shell."

"Wait, that's a—"

It was too late for a reply; Mantis had jumped onto the back of his head and tightened a dark piece of cloth onto his head. Jing stumbled forward and Po stopped him from falling into the actual field of training equipment. Very carefully, Po led him over to the tortoise and lifted him upward, practically throwing him onto the tortoise shell. Unable to keep his balance on the edge, Jing slid into the shell, screaming in surprise.

"Guys, I really think this—"

A loud growl made Jing jump out of the shell, landing carefully on the rim. The tortoise shell shook and Jing hesitated, barely able to keep his balance when he heard Tigress land beside him. He danced back carefully, dodging blows that he could not see, yet knew where happening. He felt a blow skim his cheek and he ducked into the tortoise shell, sliding down into it before sliding back out. How was he supposed to fight what he couldn't see?

Another loud growl sounded and Jing carefully moved to the side, but he felt the tortoise shell tilt slightly. An idea struck him. The tilt shifted and Jing made a move. He struck forward, and felt the slight tickling of fur that told him that he had almost landed a blow on Tigress. The tilt evened itself a little more, telling Jing that Tigress had moved to the other side.

That's how he'd do this. The tortoise shell moved based on the weight... The weight shifted again and the shell teetered. Jing wheeled around, ready to try once more, but the weight shifted once more, causing Jing's balance to lessen. He nearly fell off the tortoise, but he forced himself forward, sliding once more on the inside of the tortoise and landing on the other side. He exhaled sharply. This wasn't easy, to be sure, but it wasn't impossible.

Tigress made another lunge, inaudible this time, but Jing could adjust to the weight distribution. He moved to his left, and Tigress missed, but just barely. Her fist caught the cloth covering Jing's eyes and nearly pulled it off. She managed to stop herself, but her fist was caught in the cloth and Jing seized his chance. He struck, hitting Tigress's shoulder. Right as he had planned, Tigress's arm went limp and he pulled back.

Apparently, the nerve attack had made her angry. She let out an even louder growl than before and Jing skipped around the edge of the tortoise shell. Her aim seemed to have gotten better and Jing's balance disappeared. He felt his feet leave the tortoise shell and he fell backward, landing on the floor painfully. Then, another growl told him that Tigress was coming after him. He flinched, but someone cleared their throat, just as Tigress began to jump from the tortoise.

"That's enough!" Shifu called. "That will be enough."

Tigress turned back to him and bowed. Po came over and Jing sat upright. Po took off the blindfold from Jing's face. Jing looked back at him and took a deep breath. "What happened? Did I pass?"

"I think so," Po answered. "Not many people could actually stand up to Tigress and not get hit."  
"I got lucky."

"Nope, not luck. Something like that takes real skill."

Shifu strode over to them, his face an emotionless mask. "You do appear to have some skill in Kung Fu. In the morning, we can discuss the _possibility_"—he stressed the word—"of your training at the Jade Palace."

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Alright, everybody, here's Chapter 3. Enjoy.


	5. Chapter 5

Okay, it's taken a little while, but here it is. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 5ive—Jing

The room was sparsely furnished, though Jing was not surprised. It had only a small bed and beside it, a small table. Jing stepped inside and walk to the window, looking outside. He was actually here with the Dragon Warrior, Po, at the Jade Palace. How long had he waited for this chance? And now, he was actually here! A strange kind of happiness filled him, knowing that he was probably going to get the chance very few had; to train at the Jade Palace.

The door slid open and Jing instinctively turned, relaxing when he saw Po walk in, smiling.

"You know, you really impressed Shifu," Po stated. "No matter what he wants to say, he knows talent when he sees it."

Jing exhaled sharply. The idea of being rejected by Shifu had been bothering him. Jing grinned up at Po. "Good," he replied. "Now I can sleep without nightmares."

"You have nightmares?" Po questioned.

"No, I was just making a joke," Jing answered. Jing walked over to his bed and sat down. Po walked over and joined him and the bamboo frame bent under their combined weight. "I'm just thinking. I'm kind of... homesick, I guess. Kind of miss my dad."

"Really?" Po asked. "What's he like?"

"Well, he's a really good guy," Jing answered. "Took me in when my parents died. Kind of... taught me everything I know. Almost everything."

"So, you're adopted?"

"Yeah."

"So am I!"

"Mr. Ping's your dad, right?" Jing asked and Po nodded.

"Yeah, he's great, and his noodles are awesome," Po explained. "So, you really came all the way from your village just to train here?"

"Well... yeah," Jing answered. "I need to get stronger. I want to be stronger."

"You're really strong already," Po told him. "So, how'd you get started in Kung Fu? How'd you get so good?"

"Well, when I was with my friends back home, we used to pretend to do Kung Fu—we always used to dream about actually training," Jing explained. His face took on a wistful look as nostalgia began to overtake him. Yet the nostalgia was short-lived and his expression became clouded. "Then, some bandits started to attack my village. They raided the place and we were just kind of... helpless. Then a traveler came through the town and he single-handedly sent the bandits away. My friends and I asked him to train me and it took a lot of convincing, but he did. I trained with him for a year before he told me about the Jade Palace."

"And that's why you came?" Po inquired.

Jing nodded. "I'd always heard the stories about the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five. I figured I'd come here and learn from the best. I never actually thought you'd be a panda like me." Jing grinned.

"Well, life's full of surprises, Jing," Po replied, smiling as well. "What's your village like?"

"It's in the south, a little fishing village," Jing explained. "I've lived there since I was a baby, and I've never actually left it before now. It's really kind of warm, and kind of humid and it's got this really quaint, homey feel to it."

"Sounds nice. I'd like to visit sometime," Po said.

"Yeah, it was... home."

"Was?" Po noted. "Aren't you going to go back sometime?"

"This is my home now. At least whiling I'm training," Jing explained. "I might go back one day."

"I think you should," Po stated.

"Yeah," Jing murmured, looking down.

"What's wrong?" Po wondered.

"Guess I'm just feeling kind of... homesick."

They were silent for a short while before Po perked up. "Hey, it's almost dinnertime." Po stood and walked to the door sliding it open. He turned to look back at Jing. "Are you coming?"

Jing nodded. "Yeah. What's for dinner?"

* * *

Okay, everybody, here's the next chapter. It's a bit short, but hope you like it.


	6. Chapter 6

Alright, everybody, here's the next chapter for Jing. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter Six

The next morning, Jing woke to the sound of chirping birds. For a brief moment, he felt slightly disoriented, unsure of where he was, but then everything came back and the same jubilation from the previous day surged through him. How could he have almost forgotten that he was going to train at the Jade Palace?

Excitedly, he jumped off his bed, and began to strut down the hall, thinking of what they'd teach him first. By the time he had reached the dining room, the Furious Five and Po were already eating breakfast, talking amongst themselves. Yet when he was noticed in the doorway, the conversation stopped abruptly.

"Good morning," Po greeted. "Hungry?"

Jing nodded and Po stood. He walked over to the wall, pulled up and extra chair and placed it beside him. Jing walked over and sat down. A few seconds after he had sat, Po had put food in front of him. Jing looked into the bowl: congee. He started to eat and his eyes opened wide in amazement. Normally, congee wasn't quite this flavorful.

"Wow," he murmured. "Did you make this, Po?"

"Yep," Po replied. "My dad taught me how to cook when I was little. Like it?"

"It's awesome!" Jing exclaimed as he started to eat.

"So, Jing," Crane began. "Where are you from?"

Jing was going to attempt to answer, but with his mouth full of food, he decided against it. He swallowed and said, "It's just a small village. Nowhere really important." Hoping that he would not be asked more questions, Jing hurriedly ate more. Then, he heard Shifu speak... and jerked in surprise. Jing's eyes surveyed the room, but Shifu was nowhere to be found.

"Panda, it is time to train. We have much to work on today."

The sound was coming from right beside him. Po was grinning at him and it took a moment, but Jing soon realized that it had been Po, just impersonating Shifu. At the same moment he exhaled, he began to laugh.

"That's amazing," Jing said. "I didn't know you could do impressions!"

"Yep, it's one of my many talents," Po answered.

"Unfortunately," Tigress growled as she began to stand, "humility isn't." She set her bowl in the sink and walked out, seeming to be annoyed.

"Can you do her?" Jing questioned.

Po nodded, took a careful breath, and said, in a very impressive impersonation of Tigress, "I am the greatest Kung Fu master." Jing laughed again. Then, an idea came to him.

"That's awesome, Po," Jing said, in such a shocking copy of Monkey's voice that everybody stared at him. Then, he changed his impression, this time mimicking Po. "Did you know that I can do impressions."

"Whoa! That was incredible," Po stated.

"He's even better than you," Monkey chortled.

Po was about to reply, but Jing spoke first. "Well, my adoptive dad was an entertainer. He taught me how to do impressions when I was a kid." His face took on a wistful look as he thought of home once more.

"Was?" Monkey asked. "What does he do now?"

Involuntarily, Jing twitched. He looked away from them, and down at his half-eaten bowl of congee. Before he could answer, Tigress reentered the room.

"Master Shifu wants to see all of us in the training hall immediately," she announced. "That includes you," she added, pointing to Jing.

The Furious Five moved automatically and rapidly, leaving Jing and Po alone.

"Are you okay?" Po asked.

"Yeah," Jing replied, "doing just fine. Come on, we should go."

Po stood first and Jing followed, but he soon found himself stumbling, falling forward. He fell into Po, his face landing right on Po's chest... Within seconds, Jing felt his heartbeat start to increase and time seemed to slow down. He looked up at Po, who was looking down at him.

"Hey, are you okay?" Po asked as Jing stepped away.

"Yeah," Jing replied. He hurriedly replaced the shock on his face with excitement. "Come on, we can't be late."

Po nodded. "Yeah! Let's go!"

Po practically jogged off towards the training hall, Jing following behind, too distracted to really pay attention to anything but one thought.

_Why was my heart beating so fast?_

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Okay, everybody, here's chapter six. Enjoy.


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, everybody, here's the next chapter of Jing. Sorry it took so long, but I hope you enjoy it.

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Chapter Seven—Homesick

Training the next day was painful and harder than Jing would've imagined. Shifu seemed to want to test him more, pushing him further than Jing had ever been pushed before, but Jing was amazed that, while he wasn't as skilled as the Furious Five or Po, he managed to power through the brutal training. By the end of it, Jing's body ached painfully, but the pride of actually being able to train with the best made it all worthwhile.

That night, Jing found himself sitting beneath the peach tree on the nearby hill, looking out into the distance at the hills and mountains that surrounded the Valley of Peace. Somewhere, out there, his village was and in the back of his mind, he felt conflicted. Part of him missed home, but another part of him quashed the feeling as hurriedly as it had come. He had left for many reasons, but the most important reason—

"Hey, Jing!" called a voice, ripping Jing from his own thoughts. He looked behind him and saw Po approaching. Jing grinned at him as Po sat beside him. "What're you doing all the way up here? Dinner's ready."

"Sorry, I was just thinking," Jing answered, looking back to the mountains. "Were you born here, Po? In the Valley of Peace, I mean."

"No," Po replied. "My village was a farming village that was most pandas. I was actually a baby when I was brought here. What about you? How'd your parents find you?"

Jing took a careful breath. "Well, when things got difficult between me and my birth father, my adopted parents took me in. They just kind of picked me up after it happened." Jing sighed heavily. "I was just thinking about my birth father."

"What was he like?"

"It's kind of… complicated," Jing answered nervously. "Well, he cared about me… He always tried to make me happy and he tried to do… whatever he thought was right for me, but…" Jing trailed off, fumbling with the words he was trying to say. Po was looking at him insistently.

"But what…?"

"Is it wrong if you have to hurt someone in order to help someone else?" Jing questioned nervously.

Po's smile faded. "What do you mean?"

Jing found himself unable to look at Po. "My father wasn't exactly the most ethical person in the world. He… played really loosely with the law."

"Was your dad a criminal?"

There was no point in denying it. Instead, Jing did not acknowledge the comment. "When my dad died, I went to live with my adoptive parents, which really wasn't so bad. They were really nice people and I miss them."

"Jing," Po said, more seriously than Jing had ever heard him before. "Was your dad a criminal?"

Jing bit his lip. Evidently, Po wanted an answer. "Not exactly." Jing looked down at the ground. "My father is the ruling governor of the village. He breaks the law more often than not to make sure that he could do whatever he wants. He thinks that because he is a rich ruler, he could do whatever he wants to."

"What's his name?"

"Liang."

Po nodded.

"My dad is a really harsh ruler and he doesn't care for anybody he's in charge of," Jing stated with audible dislike. "He's the worst kind of person and… and I'm scared of him." Jing chortled slightly. "That's one of the main reasons why I left that village. I was scared of what he'd do to me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when I moved in with my adoptive parents, he tried to force them to give me back to him," Jing explained. "They refused and eventually he had them… executed." Shortly after they were executed, I ran away from the village because I'm just a coward."

"You're not a coward," Po replied. "I don't think anyone could really be able to handle that kind of pressure."

"I want to get stronger so that I can go back and so I don't have to be afraid," Jing admitted. A yawn worked its way through him and he was unable to stop it. A strange tiredness washed over him and he exhaled. "I'm tired. Today was just kind of brutal," he said jokingly, hoping to clear the tension that had formed between them.

"Well, that's how things are here," Po replied, joining him on the change in mood.

"Let's go get dinner, then I think I'm going to sleep," Jing stated.

"Yeah," Po agreed.

Jing started down the hill, but before he took his first step, Po put his hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"Jing, you're not a coward. I can tell you that."

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Okay, everybody. Here it is. Sorry it took so long. I was on a forced vacation with my family, but that's done now and I can focus a little more. Enjoy.


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